


Ducks Don't Back Down

by Ethereal_Virgo



Category: Darkwing Duck (Cartoon 1991), DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:55:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23069590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ethereal_Virgo/pseuds/Ethereal_Virgo
Summary: St. Canard has its crime. Duckburg has its curses, magic, and crazy rich ducks. When those two worlds collide, its up to a certain group of ducks to sort it all out. Ducktales (2017) meets Darkwing Duck (1991).
Relationships: Dewey Duck & Huey Duck & Louie Duck & Gosalyn Mallard & Webby Vanderquack, Drake Mallard & Gosalyn Mallard, Drake Mallard & Launchpad McQuack
Comments: 7
Kudos: 40





	1. Winners

Gosalyn Mallard had definitely had stressful moments in her lifetime. She had been captured and threatened by multiple of St. Canard’s worst villains. She had watched her Dad almost die, multiple times, at the hands of those very same people. She had been stuck in a painting, brainwashed by evil hat aliens, and was almost sucked into a demonic demon’s Jack-in the-Box. The girl had seen and experienced a lot. 

But this moment right here may have been the crowning jewel in the crown of a child who had done it all. Sweat beaded at her forehead, underneath her ginger bangs. The noise of the crowd around her was practically swallowing her whole. This was the District’s Hockey Championship after all. 

Gosalyn clutched her hockey stick like it was the one thing keeping her grounded to the earth. “Hands steady, eyes forward” her coach’s voice filled her head. 

10…

The ten second buzzer echoed in her ear. She had ten seconds to do this. To skate across the whole rink, dodge the opposing players, and shoot the best shot she had ever done in her whole damn life.

8…

A defender charged towards the girl. Gosalyn’s forehead creased in concentration. She pretended to veer right. The defender followed, duped by the girl’s fakeout. Gosalyn drove the puck to the left. 

5… 

Two defenders from opposing sides began to skate towards the girl. 

She began to push the puck faster, her skates going so fast she was practically floating. The defenders were too slow, and in their haste to correct themselves, crashed into each other.

3…

It was just her and the goalie now. She could see the fear in the kid’s eyes. Good.  
2…

She wound up for the shot.

1…

With all the might in her little, albeit extremely strong, body, Gosalyn swung her hockey stick towards the puck. As if in slow motion, the small round object floated through the air towards the goal. Her heart lurched in her chest as the goalie dove for it. But the movement of the goal’s back net told the girl all she needed to know. 

“Gosalyn Mallard scores! Gosalyn Mallard scores!” The announcer’s voice boomed throughout the enclosed ice rink. Gosalyn’s whole body went numb in shock and adrenaline. All of her teammates quickly skated over to give the girl a congratulatory tackle. Her heart pumped with a vicious velocity. She peered up at the scoreboard, the score reading: “Home: 2 / Visitors: 1 / Time: 00:00.” Gosalyn had done it. In the final seconds of the game, she had brought home the goal. 

“You did it Gos! Way to go, Gosalyn!” Cheers and praises filled her ears. Even through the mass of bodies surrounding her, Gosalyn was shocked to hear her ever-shy best friend yelling her name: “That’s my best friend! Yay, Gosalyn!” She chuckled at Honker’s shouts as tears filled her eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been this happy. Not since she was adop-

Wait. Gosalyn’s smile immediately slipped from her face, unnoticed by her celebrating teammates. There was a cheer from the stands that was missing. It was a cheer no one could miss. It was a cheer that only a father could give as a surefire way to embarrass his daughter. Where was her Dad?

His seat was empty. It hadn’t been empty before. She had seen him up there at the beginning of the game with a huge, proud smile on his face. It was the only thing that had kept her nerves at bay. And he had been there when she had scored the other goal too. She had heard his loud cheers before anyone. Heck, she was sure she had heard him cheering before she had even swung the stick. 

Her eyes filled with different kinds of tears. It’s not like she didn’t understand. She was mature now. She understood her father’s job demanded he be ready to spring into action at all times. And it wasn’t like he hadn’t shown up at all. Some parents don’t even come to watch their kids, Gosalyn thought. But he had missed the game-winning goal. He had missed the most important shot Gosalyn had ever taken. It could always be worse, she knew. But there was no helping the ache that pooled at the base of her stomach.

A hand suddenly rested on Gosalyn’s shoulder. She turned around to see Honker, who had come down from the stands to the rink to give his best friend a proper hug, as was most other family members. “Gos?” he asked softly. She looked at him, her big green eyes glassy. Honk’s eyes shifted to Mr. Mallard’s seat. Empty. “I think your team said you all were going to get celebratory pizza. Mom and I can take you,” he said, his hand rubbing the side of Gosalyn’s forearm. The girl nodded as she bent down to untie her skates. 

Uncharacteristically standing as far behind her team and the gleaming trophy they carried as she could, Gosalyn walked out of the lockerroom to see Honker and Binkie standing by the Muddlefoot family car. Both Muddlefoots wore sad smiles on their faces. “You played great dear,” Binkie smiled. Gosalyn responded with a quiet thanks. She knew Binkie was just being nice because she knew how Binkie really felt about hockey. To the matriarch of the Muddlefoots, the sport was “unlady” like. 

Honk opened the car door for Gosalyn as she struggled to shove her big hockey bag into the backseat. Once everyone was in the car, Binkie began to follow the other parents to the pizza place. “Really Gosalyn, I’ll have to talk to your father about this behavior. To leave in the middle of the game like that…” she shook her head. Of course, she didn’t know the real reason he had to leave. Honk did though, and he put an understanding hand back onto Gosalyn’s shoulder. 

“I’m proud of you Gos. You won it for your team,” he said as he tried desperately to comfort her.

Gosalyn didn’t turn her head away from the car window. “Oh really?”

“Cause’ I don’t feel like a winner.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ducktales Season 3 coming April 4th. That's it. That's the notes.


	2. Family Squabbles

Drake had never been prouder. His little girl was absolutely destroying the competition, and had even managed to not get ejected from the game yet. Though, as he looked at the scoreboard, he could not help but feel a twinge of nervousness. The game was tied with only a couple of minutes left. Of course, no matter what, he would be proud of his daughter and how hard she had played, but he knew she would be devastated if they lost the District Championship.

A sudden buzz in his pocket caught his attention. Drake pulled out his phone to see that “Director” was calling, which promptly elicited a groan. He quickly left his seat and moved toward the exit of the stadium where the ruckus of the crowd and the game was quieter before answering his phone: “What’s up J. Gander?”

“Ah, Darkwing ol’ boy! Thank you for the quick response. SHUSH is in urgent need of your assistance.” The director of SHUSH’s voice sounded anxious.

Drake tried not let out a frustrated sigh. He looked to the hockey rink just in time to see Gosalyn absolutely body an opponent. “How urgent?” he asked.

“Extremely. Steelbeak and Ammonia Pine have silently taken control of a St. Canard bank. Not even the St. Canard Police Department has caught wind of it. F.O.W.L’s demands for the release of the bank’s staff are… excessive to say the least.”

Drake winced. “With all due respect J Gander, I’m a little busy right now. Are you sure another SHUSH agent can’t take care of this?” Suddenly, the stadium’s buzzer roared, signaling a time out. Drake jumped and desperately tried to muffle the phone’s speaker, but he was sure J Gander had heard.

“I’m afraid not,” J Gander sounded frustrated now, clearly agitated at Darkwing’s stalling. “Most of our other field agents are on missions. Though, I suppose you could send that sidekick of yours to distract FOWL if you need a couple of minutes to finish… whatever you’re doing.”

Drake’s irritation skyrocketed at the mention of his former sidekick. “I’ve told you before Director, I don’t have a sidekick anymore,” he grumbled as he purposefully avoided looking at Launchpad’s old reserved seat, which was naturally empty.

The two sides of Drake were in total opposition, each side desperately fighting for control. The Darkwing side chastised Drake for even thinking of passing up an opportunity to beat FOWL and show off his great prowess to both the city and SHUSH. The Drake side however, was adamant in the fact that it was Drake’s duty as a father to watch Gosalyn’s championship game. Drake felt a severe headache coming on as his egos warred against each other.

“Darkwing?” J Gander’s voice snapped Drake out of his dilemma just as the buzzer for the last minute of the game sounded. The superhero peered up at the scoreboard, where the tied score remained. He sighed in resignation.

“I’m on it Director,” Drake stated matter-of-factly. He hung up before the old owl could even respond. Swiftly heading towards the exit, Drake took one last look at the rink and spotted his daughter. Even from where he was standing he could see the absolute fire in her eyes, determined to take her team to victory. A small smile formed on his beak as he looked at the score and timer, now a little less than a minute. He was doing the right thing... right? He _had_ seen most of the game! And after all, nothing ever happens in the last minute...

\---------------------------

Contrary to her initial beliefs, the celebratory pizza party after the game did manage to lift Gosalyn’s spirits. She had spent the first thirty minutes staring at her phone, waiting for a call or a text from her dad. It wasn’t until Honker accidently spilled soda all over himself, and one of her teammates tried to fit a whole piece of pizza in his mouth did Gosalyn manage to have a good time. To her surprise, Binkie had requested an ice cream sundae for her, the MVP of the game. “Maybe Binkie isn’t all bad…” Gosalyn thought as she shoved cold vanilla ice cream and hot fudge down her throat.

That all changed when the Muddlefoots dropped her back at her house. Honker had asked his mom for a potential sleepover, but it was a school night. “It’s OK Honk,” Gosalyn gave her best friend a small smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” And that was that.

Now, it wasn’t like Gosalyn had never walked into an empty house before. She definitely had; MANY times in fact. But it had never stung like this before. The house’s creaks were much more prominent, and the quietness and darkness were practically choking her.

Gosalyn flung her hockey bag by the stairs and went to slump onto the couch. She could turn on the TV, but she didn’t feel like seeing her Dad all over the news for stopping some super villain. So, she settled for sitting in the darkness and glaring at the chairs, which she knew her father would emerge from shortly.

And sure enough, he did. A little after Gosalyn had returned home (she had honestly lost track of time), one of the chairs did its signature spin and Darkwing appeared.

Although Gosalyn could only see his outline, she knew he was disoriented from the darkness. She watched in mischievous satisfaction as he fumbled around for the lamp’s switch.

“YIPES!” Darkwing jumped several feet in the air as the lamp illuminated the room and revealed his daughter sitting on the couch. “Gosalyn! Why were you just sitting in the dark?” he asked after he recovered from the shock.

Gosalyn didn’t respond, instead staring intently at the TV with her arms crossed.

Darkwing’s shoulders sagged with realization. “Look Gos, I’m sorry. I know I should have told you-”

“TOLD ME?” Gosalyn shrieked. After stirring her fury for the past hour, it had finally reached its boiling point. “No, you shouldn’t have told me anything! What you should have done is stayed!”

“Gos you know I can’t control when I get called away!” Darkwing responded, desperately trying to keep his own temper in check.

“Uh-huh. Sure. And what was sooo important that you had to miss the last part of my game?” she seethed.

“There was a situation at the St. Canard bank. SHUSH called me in; I had to go! I only missed the last, what, thirty seconds?”

Gosalyn let out a humorless laugh, one that sounded closer to the laugh of a super villain than that of a twelve year old girl. “Right, it was just thirty seconds…”

After a beat of silence, the girl abruptly lept from the couch so she could stand and point in her father’s face. “You don’t even know what you missed!” she cried, hot tears stinging her eyes and her voice becoming hoarse. “You weren’t there to see us when we won, and you weren’t there to see me score the winning goal!”

Darkwing’s eyes grew bigger in surprise as his heart sank. Gosalyn had scored the winning goal, and he wasn’ there to see it? Boy, he had really messed up this time. “Gos-”

“NO!” she shouted. “This isn’t even the first time you’ve missed something important! Ever since you kicked Launchpad out you’ve been missing more and more. I barely even see you, you're so busy!”

His daughter was right, Darkwing knew. Now that Launchpad was gone, missions took longer, and Darkwing spent a lot of his free time trying to correctly repair the Thunderquack and Rat-Catcher. He hadn’t even realized how much he had been missing.

“This championship, my fifth grade award ceremony, the Thanksgiving pageant-” Gosalyn began listing off the events her father had missed.

“Wait! You said you didn’t care about the pageant!” Darkwing yelled in his defense.

“That doesn’t matter! I still wanted you to be there! Every other parent was!” Gosalyn was near sobbing now. She had tried to not let her emotions get the best of her, but had lost the battle completely. “If Launchpad were here, this wouldn’t have happened. Face it Dad, you can’t do this by yourself!”

Darkwing knew he should just apologize. He knew he could promise Gosalyn that he would be better and comfort her. And on a different day, he would have done just that. But Gosalyn was not the only exhausted Mallard that night. Darkwing had just spent the past two hours being shot at by Steelbeak and soaked in suds by Ammonia Pine, and now he was being yelled at by his own daughter about his sidekick. His infamous ego had had enough.

“That’s it!” Darkwing erupted. “I don’t want to hear it anymore! I was fine by myself before, and I’ll be fine now!”

Realizing what he had just implied, his eyes went wide and his voice grew soft. “Gos, I-” he reached out to his daughter. Gosalyn slapped his hand away, her eyes reflecting a mixture of rage and betrayal. She knew of course that her father had preferred a life of solitude before she came along. But she had hoped she had changed that. With nothing left to say, the girl let out one last sob before she turned on her heels and ran up the stairs to her room, stomping the whole way.

Darkwing watched her go in silence. He was still angry, but he also knew he had crossed a line. He had hurt his daughter, something he never in a million years would do on purpose. His heart was screaming at him to go up there and comfort her. But his mind told him that the best thing both of them needed right now was space to calm down. And so Darkwing returned to his room, feeling nothing like a hero.

\--------------------

Gosalyn blearily opened her eyes as her alarm clock screeched in her ear. Sunlight was peeking in through her blinds, illuminating the dust floating around her room and indicating that morning had arrived. She groaned in irritation and slammed her fist down on the alarm clock to stop it. It took the girl’s entire willpower to not just roll over and drift back to sleep.

As Gosalyn slowly slinked out of bed, she could feel the soreness of her muscles from yesterday's game. Everything hurt. Her first thought was to go ask her dad if she could skip school for today, but the sudden recollection of last night’s fight and the dried tears on her face eliminated that option.

The young duck sat on her bed for a while, just staring at her closet. She knew the longer she sat there the more likely it would be that she missed the bus, but Gosalyn didn’t have it in her to care. She was exhausted. Mentally. Physically. School was just the cherry on top of a misery sundae.

Nevertheless, Gosalyn managed to pull herself to her bathroom, hoping that a cold shower would help her wake up. It did help somewhat, but the girl was still a zombie as she headed to her closet so she could get dressed. She picked out her light purple undershirt and dark purple hockey varsity jacket and slipped them on. As she moved to the mirror to brush her hair, a sudden picture on her dresser caught her eye.

It was a picture from when she was younger, about two years ago. Gosalyn was making a silly face to the camera, as always, while Drake and Launchpad stood behind her laughing. Behind them was what looked like a carnival. The girl cracked a sad smile at the photograph. “Wish you were still here Launchpad,” she thought aloud.

A lightbulb suddenly formed above the girl’s head. If she remembered correctly, Launchpad had moved to Duckburg and was now working for the richest duck in the world. Not that she was sure where he lived though. Gosalyn hadn’t talked to Launchpad since he and her dad’s huge fight. But there wasn’t a day that went by where she didn’t miss his smile or jokes. School could wait. “Maybe,” she grinned mischievously at the picture, “it’s time I pay Launchpad a visit.”

Neglecting her backpack, the girl rushed down the stairs and out the door. She ran past the spot she normally waited for the school bus and instead took off down the sidewalk towards the downtown area. Eventually, she spotted her destination, a St. Canard bus stop, and lucky for her, a bus was already there.

After practically throwing herself into the bus, she looked up to the stupefied driver. “This thing go to Duckburg?” she panted. The driver nodded slowly, eyeing the strange girl with confusion as she paid her fare and took a seat towards the back of the bus.

Gosalyn threw herself in a chair and leaned her head against the cool glass. Adrenaline was coursing through her body. She had done a lot of stupid things in her life, but this might just take the cake. And she LOVED it. The bus’ engine roared to life, and with it Gosalyn’s spirits soared.

“I’m coming Launchpad.”

\--------------------

Drake hated his alarm clock with a burning passion. Well, really it was his fifth alarm clock. He had broken the other four in fits of morning frustration, and he was seconds away from breaking a fifth. Similar to his daughter, he felt like he had been hit by a semi truck. Being a superhero was far from easy. But of course, someone had to do it.

He peered over to the clock, which read a familiar 12:30. Naturally, the vigilante never got up before noon after work nights. Still, his head throbbed. A creeping feeling of guilt came over him as he realized Gosalyn was probably going through the same predicament, except she had to be at school. Actually, Drake realized, that would only be true if Gosalyn hadn’t “accidentally” overslept.

With a sudden burst of energy, Drake raced over to Gosalyn’s room. He knocked of course, but no reply came. Slowly, he creeped the door open, only to see that Gosalyn’s bed was indeed empty. He sighed in relief and closed the door.

As Drake got dressed and made his coffee, his mind drifted towards his spirited child and their fight from last night. The more he thought about it, the more awful he felt. His ego and fatigue had gotten the best of him, and as a result he had acted rashly. Drake then made a plan to apologize to Gosalyn and take her for ice cream as soon as she got back from-

Wait. Drake stopped stirring his coffee as a realization hit him like a bolt of lightning. Was that Gosalyn’s backpack in her room? He hastily raced back up the stairs and to her room. Just as he thought, the girl’s backup was lying unused on the floor.

What Drake wanted to think was that his daughter had just forgotten to take the backpack with her to school, but his parental alarms were screaming at him. He rushed into his room to grab his smartphone, and dialed the school’s number.

After a couple rings a voice picked up. “St. Canard Middle School, how may I help you?”

“Yeah, uh, hi. This is Drake Mallard. I think my daughter… left her backpack.”

“Ok, I will inform her teacher, give me one sec.” Seconds of silence ensued, and Drake was about to have a conniption. Finally the voice of the school secretary returned, confirming Drake’s fear.

“I’m sorry Mr. Mallard, but it appears that Gosalyn did not come to school today.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Sorry it's been so long. 2020 sucks.


	3. Enter Duckburg

“Keen gear…” Gosalyn muttered as she stared at the giant mansion gates. The metal was so perfectly polished it practically sparkled in the sunlight. On one gate, a M was carved, on the other, a D, and the gate as a whole was crowned with a money sign. Behind the bars, Gosalyn could just manage to see the mansion from where it sat at the top of the hill. 

When she stepped back, she could see just how towering the stone walls that surrounded the hill were. Her first instinct was just to climb them, but then she remembered that this was the richest duck in the world, and she would probably be vaporized to ash before she even got to the other side.

It was then that Gosalyn noticed a little speaker box. Resigning herself to “the rules,” she took a deep breath and pushed the button.

“McDuck residence,” a British voice said after a moment. 

“Umm…” It wasn’t often Gosalyn found herself at a loss for words, but even she had to admit she was a little intimidated. The voice didn’t sound particularly soft and cuddly. “I’m here to see Launchpad McQuack.”

Silence. Gosalyn could practically hear the scrutiny though the speaker. It was at that moment she realized that there was probably a camera pointed right at her. “Name?” the voice asked.

“Gosalyn,” she responded. “Gosalyn Mallard.” More silence. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe she should just turn around and-

The gates opened, and Gosalyn couldn’t help but stare at them open-mouthed. She was almost scared to walk through. “Oh toughen up you big baby,” she hissed at herself before beginning her walk up the hill towards the mansion.

When Gosalyn finally arrived at the front door, she didn’t have much time to admire the exterior of the absolutely colossal mansion. A large and stocky female duck was already standing in the doorway, eyeing the smaller duck as she came forward. 

“Launchpad has told me a lot about you,” the woman said rather simply. Gosalyn’s eyes went wide in surprise. The woman didn’t seem to notice, or she just didn’t care. Instead, she beckoned the girl to follow her around the outskirts of the mansion, and the two walked in total silence until they approached a large, metal hangar. 

The woman gestured for Gosalyn to wait as she moved towards the hangar’s opening and knocked on the walls. “You have a visitor Launchpad,” she called into the building.

“I do?” a voice called back. Gosalyn’s heart leapt into her throat. It was him. It was really him! The woman stepped away from the hangar to head back towards the mansion just as Launchpad walked out.

“Launchpad?” Gosalyn asked, her voice quiet and disbelieving. Launchpad’s head snapped towards her voice.

“Gos?” He sounded just as stunned. The two friends looked at each other for a moment, merely taking in the other’s existence. “Gosalyn!” Launchpad broke the silence and raced towards the girl before pulling her into a gigantic hug.

Gosalyn laughed as the bigger duck twirled her around. “Hiya Launchpad!”

“Oh man! I can’t believe it! It’s really you!” He cheered as he set the girl back on her feet. His eyes drifted down towards Gosalyn’s fiery red hair. “Aw Gos, where did the pigtails go?”

Gosalyn grabbed her singular ponytail defensively and shrugged. “I outgrew em’.”

Launchpad laughed and shook his head. “You do look older…” he mused. Suddenly, his eyes glistened with excitement. “Oh man! Gos, you’ve got to meet the kids.” He grabbed her wrist and started rushing towards the backyard. “There’s my best friend Dewey, and his brothers, and then-”

“Woah LP! Slow down!” Gosalyn yelped as she was dragged closer towards the back of the mansion. In the older duck’s hustle, the smaller girl barely had any time to take in her surroundings. Except what looked like a houseboat… in a swimming pool. Gosalyn made a mental note to ask Launchpad about it later.

Suddenly, the girl was practically thrown into a patch of foliage. Instead of being met with branches like she expected however, she found herself in a small clearing. To her shock, a young duck clad in blue lay unconscious on the ground, his body pelted with… rubber bullets?

The bushes next to Gosalyn rustled, and the girl immediately went into a fighting position. Suddenly, a screaming blur of green and red rushed past her. Gosalyn barely had time to open her mouth to ask if they needed help before a rush of pink entered her vision, apparently jumping from somewhere above Gosalyn and landing in front of the two other helpless kids.

“I’ve got you!” the girl shouted, shooting two perfectly placed rubber bullets from her toy gun at the red and green clothed boys, who each dramatically dropped to the ground. The last duck standing proceeded to pretend to blow smoke from her toy gun and smirked at the fallen boys. “Webby wins!” she giggled.

“Ugh! No fair Webby!” the blue duck suddenly shot up, apparently not unconscious at all.

“Remind me why we agreed to play in the backyard with her,” the red duck groaned as he dusted himself off. 

“She’s everywhere… and nowhere,” the green duck shuddered, evidently disturbed. 

The girl, Webby, opened her beak to retort the boys' complaints before finally spotting Gosalyn, who was standing at the edge of the clearing. “Woah! Who are you?”

Launchpad, who suddenly appeared next to Gosalyn’s side, spoke up. “Gos, meet Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webby!” Launchpad indicated the group of kids. It was then that Gosalyn noticed the trio of boys were practically identical, save for their fashion choices and hair styles. “Kids, this is Gosalyn. You know, the one I told you about?” 

All the kids’ eyes grew wide as dinner plates, and immediately charged towards her. “Oh my gosh! I can’t believe it’s really you!” The girl, Webby, exclaimed. “Launchpad has told us so much about you!”

“Yeah. All those super awesome adventures you got to go on! Jealous!” Dewey yelled. Both he and Webby were extremely close to Gosalyn, nearly screaming in her face. She gave them both a strained smile, but her attention was immediately grabbed by the red triplet. 

“Is it true your dad is Darkwing Duck? Like THE Darkwing Duck?” Huey said, stars in his eyes. 

Gosalyn’s heart practically stopped, and she whirled around to face the pilot. “Launchpad? You TOLD them?”

Launchpad grinned sheepishly but put a relaxed hand on Gosalyn’s shoulder. “Don’t worry Gos. I trust these guys. They won’t tell anybody!”

Gosalyn shook her head and sighed. “If Dad hears about this…”

“Launchpad didn’t mean to tell us,” the green triplet finally spoke up. “We kind of suspected it after all the stories he told us about being a superhero’s sidekick and his home life in St. Canard.” 

“And then we locked him in a closet and wouldn’t let him out until he told us the truth!” Webby exclaimed cheerfully before being elbowed by Dewey.

“Well no changing it now I guess,” Gosalyn muttered. She turned her head to Huey. “You know my dad then?”

Huey’s eyes lit up as he nodded. “I’ve seen him on the news before. All those bad guys he defeats… it’s amazing! He’s a hero!” Gosalyn smiled slightly, happy for her dad that he was getting the recognition he deserved. 

“Children!” the voice of Ms. Beakley rang out, and everyone turned their heads toward the direction of the mansion. “Lunch is ready!” The boys and Webby cheered as they began to run towards the mansion, which left Gosalyn and Launchpad to slowly walk behind them.

“Speaking of DW, where is he?” Launchpad asked as he began looking around for his former friend. Gosalyn’s smile vanished in an instance, which went not unnoticed by Launchpad. “He did… uh… come with you, right?”

“Well…” Gosalyn droned. “Imayormaynothavesnuckupheretoseeyoubecausedadisbeingimpossible…”

Launchpad just stared and blinked. “I didn’t get a word you just said.”

Seeing his confused face looking down at her, Gosalyn sighed. “I rode up here on a bus to see you because Dad is being a total loggerhead. He doesn’t want to admit it but he needs you Launchpad! He’s struggling more as a solo act than ever before but you know Dad…”

Launchpad rarely frowned, but seeing his little buddy upset gave him an unpleasant feeling. “So… he doesn’t know you’re up here?”

Gosalyn shook her head. “He and I got into a fight last night because he missed me score the winning goal at the Hockey District championship. I know he’s missed stuff like this before but… but this was the final straw.”

Launchpad stopped walking, which in turn made Gosalyn pause. “Gos, I know your Dad. And I know it probably killed him that he didn’t get to see your goal,” he said with a steadying hand on her shoulder. 

“I know…” Gosalyn didn’t dare try to meet Launchpad’s eyes. “It’s just frustrating. If you had been there to help him… maybe it wouldn’t have happened the way it did.”

Launchpad’s hand suddenly clinched Gosalyn's shoulder tighter. “You know I would have been there in a heartbeat if…” He didn’t need to finish his sentence. “But you’re here now kiddo!” His voice returned to its naturally cheerful tone. “And I don’t know about you, but I’ve got two tacos that are calling my name.” The older duck released his hold of Gosalyn’s shoulder and happily began his stroll back into the mansion. 

Gosalyn stood there a little longer, looking fixedly at Launchpad’s back before making a dash towards the unsuspecting duck. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his jacket. “I missed you Launchpad.”

Launchpad stopped, stunned at the surprise attack, but was quick to return the hug. “I missed you too Gos. I missed you too…”

\-----------------------

As hungry as he was, Launchpad completely forgot that the young duckling beside him had never seen the mansion before. It wasn’t until he heard a completely awestruck: “Keen gear!” did he remember. 

“Normally I don’t eat lunch with everyone, but Mr. McD said he’s got an adventure for us.” He motioned towards the dining room, where Gosalyn followed him in. 

“Now listen closely kids,” a thick Scottish accent filled the room. “Ape Island is known to be very difficult to traverse because of its large population of gorillas, BUT- Oh, about time you got here Launchpad,” the voice said as Launchpad entered the room. Gosalyn moved around her larger friend to get a view of the man who was talking. Of course, as she expected, it was the one and only Scrooge McDuck. 

The old duck was sitting in the head dining table chair, the four other kids surrounding him as they munched on their tacos and looked down at an old map on the table. “Come here, we need to discuss-” The trillionaire started before suddenly locking eyes with Gosalyn. “Uh, Launchpad. Who is your little friend there?” 

Launchpad opened his mouth to answer, but Gosalyn quickly stepped forward. “My name is Gosalyn Mallard!” Before the richest duck in the world could even respond, Gosalyn rushed up to him and the kids. “And you’re Scrooge McDuck! Oh keen gear it’s so cool to get to meet you!”

Despite the girl’s brashness, the old duck chuckled. “Aye, that I am.” He stuck out his hand for the girl to shake, which she did so with lots of vigor. “And you must be the lass Launchpad used to live with.”

“That’s me! I came up here to visit Launchpad. I haven’t seen him in forever!” she looked back to her friend with an enthusiastic smile. 

“That’s wonderful dear,” Scrooge beamed. He had known how much Launchpad had missed the child. “Sorry the kids and I are busy. You see, a colleague of mine discovered a hidden jungle temple on an island in Africa.” He gestured for the girl to stand beside him and then pointed to the map.

“They say an old scientist went missing there a couple years back,” Webby, who was sitting on the table, said giddily.

“And you’re happy about that?” Louie asked, a little concerned at his friend’s enthusiasm.

Webby waved him off. “AND around the same time, some guy tried to make the island a resort for villains!”

Remembering an article in the newspaper he recently read, Huey decided to chime in. “Apparently, the villain escaped from prison and returned to the island to gain vengeance on those who had wronged him.”

“And he was never. heard from. AGAIN!” Dewey ended the story dramatically. At that point, however, Gosalyn wasn’t even listening. The story was eerily familiar to her, but why?

“So the dude got mauled by gorillas? Big deal.” Louie rolled his eyes, unimpressed. “What does that have to do with treasure?” His eyes gleamed at just the thought of gold and jewels.

“Because, that theory about that sinful scam artist getting eaten by gorillas is a load of rubbish,” Scrooge scowled. “If we are going after the treasure in the temple, we need to be on the look-out for any kind of obstacle, including that scoundrel.”

“Wait!” Gosalyn suddenly shouted, causing everyone in the room to jump. She turned to the pilot sitting at the other end of the table, who throughout the whole conversation had been obliviously and happily munching on his tacos. “Launchpad, don’t you remember?” 

“Uh…” Launchpad looked at the ceiling. Gosalyn groaned at her companion’s lack of remembrance.

“Mr. McDuck, can I see that map again?” the girl asked. The bajillionaire pushed the map towards the eager child. After a moment of taking it in, Gosalyn had her eureka moment. “Mr. McDuck, I’ve been here!” 

Everyone gasped. “You have?!” they all shouted collectively. 

“Lass, that’s impossible. The territory is nothing but jungle. Only scientists ever dare go there,” the Scottish duck shook his head.

“No, I’ve definitely been there. With Launchpad and Dad!” The kids exchanged glances. “That scientist, Dr. Bruté, she’s not missing. She’s just living with the gorillas on the island. And the gorillas aren’t dangerous! They’re really cool. And Trenchrot, he shouldn’t be too much of a problem, even if he did break out of jail. He’s kind of a shrimp…” 

The room was silent. All jaws were on the floor. “Right…” Scrooge finally broke the absence of sound. “Your father is the one that used to gallivant about at night with Launchpad in St. Canard.”

“Yeah. This is one of the cases that I went with him on.” She paused as she looked from Scrooge, to the kids, and finally to Launchpad, who had yet to cease in eating his tacos. 

Suddenly, Gosalyn got the best idea she had ever thought of. All of the pieces were laid out in front of her. If she didn’t take this opportunity, a chance to go on a real McDuck adventure, she would never forgive herself! “Say! Why don’t I come with you? You know, like be your guide?”

Scrooge was swift in shutting her down. “Sorry lass, but I cannae just bring you along on an adventure without at least consulting that vigilante father of yours.”

“Aw come on Uncle Scrooge!” Dewey whined at the old duck. “She could really help us out!”

“Yeah! If she already knows the lay of the land, we can get to the temple that much faster!” Huey joined in on the imploring.

“And a quick way to the temple means a quick way to the treasure,” Louie wiggled his eyebrows at his uncle.

“Oh please Uncle Scrooge!” Webby begged, desperate to go on an adventure with her new friend.

“No, and that’s final!” Scrooge shouted. All the kids grumbled in defeat. “Besides, if Launchpad visited this island too, then we already have a perfectly capable guide!” he gestured to Launchpad at the end of the table, who at the moment, was choking on a taco shell.

“The deliciousness of the tacos deceived me!” Launchpad shrieked, clutching his throat and dramatically reaching out towards something. 

Scrooge sighed at the man he somehow called his personal pilot. “Fine. You can come along.” Gosalyn and the children cheered. “As long as you call your father first!” 

Gosalyn’s smile faltered. Bleh. Her father would never let her go on a McDuck family adventure, especially after their fight. But the clever girl didn’t get her reputation of being a sneak for nothing. She forced a grin and nodded, stepping to the side of the room so she could get some “quiet” from the chattering children.

She pretended to dial her dad’s number and put the phone to ear. She waited three counts. 1...2...3… “Hi Dad!” she said cheerfully. “Yeah I’m ok. Yeah school was fine. I got an A on my math test.” Her wicked smirk grew as she continued to respond to silence. “So, a crazy thing happened. I met up with Launchpad, and guess what? I met Scrooge McDuck too!” 1...2...3… “Yeah I know! Crazy right? Anyways, he invited me to come with him and his family on their next adventure. Is that ok?” 1...2...3… “Really? You mean it! Keen gear, thanks Dad!” she pretended to hang up and turned back to the family with a bright smile and a thumbs up. 

Cheers rang out through the dining hall as everyone rushed to the foyer, where Mrs. Beakley was waiting with the supplies and bags. Gosalyn suddenly felt a tug on her sleeve and turned to see Louie smirking at her. “Well played,” he simply said, even though Gosalyn knew exactly what he was talking about. He definitely knew about her little trick. She responded with a triumphant smile before running up to the backpacks. To her absolute delight, a bow and arrows sat amongst the materials. 

“I’ve heard you’re quite the master with a bow and arrow,” Mrs. Beakley’s voice suddenly rang out behind her.

Gosalyn turned around and smiled. “Well… I wouldn’t say ‘a master’ but I can definitely kick butt!” She leaned down and felt the bow. It clearly wasn’t the most expensive, but it was still of great quality. Gosalyn grabbed the quiver of arrows and slung it around her shoulder before turning back to Ms. Beakley. “Thank you.” 

“Anytime dear,” and with that, the housekeeper disappeared into the dining room. Gosalyn saw that the kids had congregated around their great uncle, and eagerly rushed up to join them, adjusting her quiver as she went.

“Alright kids! Who’s ready for an adventure?” Scrooge asked triumphantly. His question was met with a resounding cheer from the five children. “Alright then! Onward!” 

Gosalyn’s heart was pounding. Less than 24 hours ago, she had felt more utterly hopeless than she had in a long time. And now she was going on an adventure with THE Scrooge McDuck! Not only that, but she was going with Launchpad too! She had even made some news friends to boot. 

When she arrived to where the plane was ready to take off, a single thought rushed through her mind as she took a deep breath of the chill autumn air.

This was the start of something great.


End file.
